1. We shouldn’t be surprised by the Blues’ startling collapse during Monday’s 4-3 loss at Los Angeles in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. During the 2013 regular season, the Blues had a disturbing tendency to let down after enjoying stretches of success.

Just when it seemed safe to trust them, players would turn complacent and neglectful. That’s when coach Ken Hitchock would begin harping on his team’s failure to “buy in” to the commitment, to the system.

It’s happened again in this series. After carving out a 2-0 series lead over the defending Stanley Cup-champion Kings, the Blues reverted to their enigmatic ways by dropping two in a row in Los Angeles.

To be fair, the Kings are an excellent home team; it was going to be tough for the Blues to steal a game or two at the Staples Center, anyway. Moreover, the Blues played with plenty of passion in Game 3. Effort wasn’t the issue in the 1-0 loss. The chronic failure to convert excellent scoring chances doomed The Note.

But there are no excuses. The Blues should have won Game 3 and didn’t. And after grabbling leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in Game 4, the Blues relaxed and gave the desperate Kings the chance to take back the game, and get back in the series.